1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus that can be connected wirelessly to other apparatuses, a system having the image communication apparatus and a method for controlling the same.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, facsimile apparatuses have come into wide use at home, and particularly, it has been proposed that image data read by a detachable portable scanner is sent to a communication line, and copied.
In addition, it has been proposed that a connection is made between the facsimile apparatus and the scanner with a wireless line to send and receive data.
For the above described prior art, the facsimile apparatus is simply connected to the scanner by wireless, in which the facsimile apparatus and the scanner are always connected in a one-to-one relationship, and data can be sent at any time from the scanner to the facsimile apparatus by the operation of the facsimile apparatus. In other words, consideration is not given at all to power consumption of a battery when the scanner is driven on the battery.
Therefore, for the above described prior art, impractically power consumption increases and scanner's driving time is shortened.
Also, it is not assumed that communication is performed with any terminal of a plurality of terminals, like Bluetooth or the like that has been disseminated rapidly in recent years, and so on. Also, methods of using the function of Bluetooth efficiently have not been studied yet.
Also, conventionally, a wireless connection cannot be made from the scanner apparatus when the scanner apparatus and the facsimile apparatus are connected by wireless with infrared communication such as IrDA and used. Therefore, inconveniently an operator of the facsimile apparatus must make a wireless connection, and issue a command to the scanner apparatus after ensuring that the connection has been made.
The above described problems occur not only in the case of wireless connection between the facsimile apparatus and the scanner, but also in the case where an image input/output apparatus such as a scanner and printer and an information processing apparatus such as a PC is connected by wireless with IrDA, etc. and used. Since a wireless connection cannot be made from the image input/output apparatus, inconveniently the operator of the information processing apparatus must make a wireless connection after the operator sets an original in the image input/output side, and issue a command to the image input/output apparatus after ensuring that the connection has been made. Also in the case where the image input/output apparatus receives information of facsimile and E-MAIL via the communication line, existence of new information cannot be recognized unless the operator of the information processing apparatus makes a wireless connection and inquires the state of the image input/output apparatus after confirming the connection.
The above described problems also occur in the case where an image communication apparatuses other than the facsimile apparatus is used.